10 Things to Know as an AMC First Timer

Is this your first time attending the AMC? Get ready to make new friends, learn hands-on skills, and dance the night away! With 300+ sessions, 28 different tracks, practice spaces, and network gatherings, and numerous satellite events and parties, the AMC has a lot to offer. Here are 10 tips to help you make the most of it.

10 Things to Know as an AMC First Timer

Plan your schedule. There are 300+ sessions at the amc! That’s a lot of sessions. It’s best to plan ahead by checking out our online schedule which allows you to bookmark sessions. Make sure you grab a program book when you arrive at the conference!

Be open to new things. The AMC is a great space to try your hand at a new skill, or learn about a topic that is unfamiliar to you. Why not try a movement session even if you’re not a dancer? How about signing up for a tour to learn about Detroit’s diverse neighborhoods and communities or participating in a live broadcast from the Really Rad Radio and Video Practice Space?

Ask for the things you need to participate fully in the conference. Are you looking for the gender neutral bathroom? Need transportation to get to off campus events? Want translation from Spanish to english or vice versa? Stop by the info desk inside the Student Center or ask a volunteer wearing a yellow AMC t-shirt.

Your badge contains important information you will need over the weekend. Refer to the back of your badge for information such as phone numbers for shuttles, how to contact the AMC safety team, translation services, and more. The badge also includes people’s prefered gender pronouns displayed on the front. And don’t forget your badge is your ticket to nighttime events!

Stay online during the AMC for updates, location changes and ongoing conversations. See what people are saying by searching the conference hashtag #AMC2016 on social media. Engage with comments and questions that interest you! Can’t make it to a session? Many sessions have unique hashtags listed on the online schedule - search the hashtag and follow what’s happening even if you’re not there in person! Find the AMC on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Unwind at one of the AMC’s many nighttime events. AMCers love to have a good time. AMC @ night features music and performance events for all ages throughout the four days of the conference. Try some “participatory media” during karaoke or bowling on friday or dance the night away on Saturday at the MOCAD. You may walk or roll to these events or take the shuttle from the pick up station outside Towers Dorms.

Budget ahead for food and other expenses. At the AMC we offer tea, coffee, and water throughout the four days of the conference. You can purchase a bagged lunch, grab a meal at the dorm cafeteria, or try one of the many local restaurants. Other expenses you may have over the AMC weekend include: ride shares, bike rentals, goodies for sale in the AMC exhibition area, and personal care items for your dorm room.

Go to the Opening Ceremony on Friday. Celebrate the powerful wave of creative movement-building happening across the country. This year we will host the opening ceremony at the beautiful gold-leaf bedazzled Detroit Film Theater inside the Detroit Institute of Arts, and it is free and open to the general public. Get a feel for what it will be like by checking out our video from last year.

Make long lasting connections and continue to build your AMC community year-round. Put yourself out there! Introduce yourself to someone new. Bring your business cards or examples of your work to share ways for people to learn about what you’re doing. And don’t be shy - follow up with people after the conference! You can also stay involved with the AMC by coordinating a track, practice space or network gathering, or proposing a session at the next AMC.

Now that you’ve moved through the conference as a first timer, we’d love your feedback! You can share your feedback in multiple ways:

Provide feedback for a specific session - look for the session evaluation link in the online session description.

Fill out a comment card, which you will find in your program book, and drop it off at one of the info desks or in the purple comment drop box.

Complete the post-AMC survey online which will be available on our website after the conference.

Bonus tip! Be sure to check out the “Homeroom” sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings to get good ideas of what to explore each day. During “Homeroom” the AMC Advisory Board will introduce first-time and returning AMCers to AMC history, participant agreements, as well as some tools and tips to navigating the AMC's various media-based organizing spaces.